Southampton City Council is inviting applications for the next round of its Community Chest and Celebrations Grants schemes, with a larger awarding budget than previous rounds available.
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Community Chest is the council’s small grant scheme and has been running for over 35 years, it currently awards grants of up to £2,500 to community groups, small voluntary organisations and social enterprises in the city with annual incomes of less than £250,000. Smaller grants are also available up to £500 as a sub section of the Community Chest Grant for community celebration events that bring different people together.
In 2020/21 the overall budget available is £104,000, comprising a £100,000 main budget plus an additional £4,000, which is ring-fenced for activities that benefit residents living in the Freemantle and Shirley wards and part of Millbrook ward (between Shirley Road and Regent’s Park Road).
Both the Community Chest and Celebrations Grants are awarded twice a year and the budget is ordinarily divided approximately equally between the two rounds. The next round is unique in that £71,701 is available; this is due to application numbers being lower than usual in the last round as the application period was during the COVID-19 lockdown.
All grant funded projects, events and activities must contribute to at least one of the council’s priority outcomes, which are Communities, Culture and Homes, Green City, Wellbeing and Place Shaping. Organisations with an annual income of less than £50,000 have priority. The decision maker for both grant schemes is the Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, following recommendations by the cross-party Community Chest Grant Advisory Panel.
All grants will be awarded on condition that the activities/events are carried out in line with Government guidance about COVID-19, to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
The closing date for the next round of Community Chest Grant is midday Friday 30 October 2020. To apply for the grants visit www.southampton.gov.uk/communitychest, for support with an application contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.